Quenching My Thirst
by AgoodWITCH
Summary: After a new beverage tax is imposed on New York State, Bella is forced to stretch her pitiful college budget to the max, until she meets a stranger who is looking for a home cooked meal. Hilarity ensues. Complete


**Before the potential hate mail begins…this is meant to be OOC, especially Bella! This was born out of two things, a Chris Rock skit, which happened to pop into my head after reading up on the new way that New York State has proposed to fix their budget; they're going to tax sodas and other drinks that are less than 70% juice by a penny an ounce. And that's in a state with one of the highest sales tax in the nation…I say enough is enough and so does Bella. But hey…a woman needs her sugar.**

**BPOV**

There are a lot of things I should be grateful for, like being alive and going to a high priced college in New York City…but as I dig through my purse on the floor in the middle of the soda aisle in the Korean Market two blocks from my dorm, I can't really value either of those things. Hopelessly searching for spare change with my meager basket of groceries had been a weekly occurrence until recently and I blame the government!

I know you're probably wondering if I was dumb enough to buy my weed from some guy in Washington Square Park again, but relax, I learned that lesson. Now I only buy from the music majors and the kids who commute from Long Island…their stuff is safe. No, this little tirade is because the fat cats in Albany wanted a quick fix so they decided to create a beverage tax and hide it as a way to help make New Yorkers healthy. So now my soda costs me an extra $1.44 per twelve pack…change that I obviously don't have.

This was how I fell into my current situation, because I'm not really sure you could call it a relationship.

_ About two months ago, I was in this same situation, maybe even the same position, when a fucking sex god tripped over me. Bronze hair, ridiculous emerald green eyes, and long fingers…talented fingers…doctor's fingers._

_Scrambling to apologize, he helped me up. We eyed each other's groceries…mine were the basics for a casserole I could reheat all week, because that was how I saved enough money for my addiction to soda. His was a series of meals in a bag, a box, or however else you could package it._

_Laughing at each other's carts, we started talking as we stood in the aisle, the last case of Wild Cherry Pepsi mocking me from its spot right beside his head. I asked him why he was buying enough processed meals to preserve him for the next 70 years and he laughed, acknowledging that he couldn't cook._

_When he inquired as to my choice, I told him the truth in a moment of stupidity, and he laughed, before offering a truce. "Look, I'm a medical intern, I have no free time and no energy for a relationship, but there's something about you that…intrigues me, so how about we make an arrangement?"_

_"What kind of arrangement?" Hell this was New York, I can't just agree because he's hot, I could wind up cooking for him and his boyfriend with my luck._

_"I'll pay for your groceries, if you agree to cook dinner for me on my night off, that way I have one home cooked meal a week."_

_"So you'd pay for the food for that one meal?" Hell, I could make a big enough platter and have another $12 for soda that way!_

_"No, for the week."_

_"You'd buy me a week's worth of groceries for one meal?" There had to be a catch._

_"Yup." I stared at him like he was crazy and then shrugged my shoulders._

_"Okay, but I live in a dorm, so I'll have to cook at your place."_

_"No problem, we'll run your groceries to your place first and then head to my apartment."_

_"Wait, we're going now?" I was thinking this was a 'sometime in the future' type of deal._

_"Is that a problem?" He looked at me with those eyes and I was done for._

_"No, let's put this crap back." I dragged him around the tiny shop loading him up with my stuff first before picking out the ingredients for my favorite casserole, that way he'd have leftovers to keep him hungry for more._

_Checking out, we ran to my place and I left him in the lobby while I carried my bounty into my room and filled my mini fridge and threw the rest next to my bed to put away later before running back downstairs._

_Twenty minutes later, I was standing in a kitchen that had never been used, making a meal I could throw together with my eyes closed, while Edward, my personal savior, watched from the counter across from me._

_We didn't talk much, which I chalked up to nerves at the crazy lady who had followed him home for $70 worth of groceries._

_When the meal was finished, we sat there for a minute, not sure who should eat first before I dove in, too hungry to care. Edward took a bite and moaned like I'd just blew him…so I'm guessing that it was pretty good. The meal passed silently, even though I felt his eyes on me the entire time._

_When we finished, I washed the few cooking utensils I had brought with me and headed for the door when his voice stopped me. "You're not taking the platter?"_

_"No, I thought I'd leave you something to remember me by." I almost laughed, but when I turned to look at him and saw he was right behind me, I gasped._

_"I could think of a much better thing for us to remember." His eyes were glued to my lips and I couldn't believe this was happening, but it was. _

_His hands were in my hair, as mine clawed at his shirt, pulling it out of his pants and then removing it to finally reveal the muscles that had been hinted at all night. My lips found his again and he grabbed my ass, lifting me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist and let him carry me into his bedroom. _

_That man did more than ravage me, he devoured me. Kissing, licking and biting…oh the biting. Edward was careful not to rip my clothing, because I did have to walk home. I was a little less graceful disrobing him, but my fervor only seemed to spur him on._

_Landing on the bed, he had a condom on before I could even mention it. As his eyes met mine, I saw the question there. He wanted to know that I was okay with this…my response was to throw my leg back around his waist and pull him closer. _

_I hadn't looked at his 'situation' in our haste, but the moment I felt him enter me, I looked down to watch him pull out and I almost died mid-fuck. I was not a lucky person…at all. So the fact that Edward and his magical penis had fallen into my lap was too much to take. I came hard and I looked up to see Edward's face and had to fight to stop laughing._

_His smirk was priceless as he set out to make me cum as many times as possible. And he didn't disappoint!_

_Basking in the post-coital glow as a mush of limbs that I was sure wouldn't hold my weight; I looked at Edward who was wearing a confused expression. "I should go." I muttered quickly as I grabbed my clothes._

_"Wait." I turned to see Edward grabbing his boxers as I continued to put on my underwear. "Can I get your number? You know, so I can call about next week…that is if you still want to."_

_I smiled and grabbed my jeans, pulling out my phone and tossing it to him before I put them on. "Sure, program it in and I'll call you that way I'll know it's you."_

_He did just that while I finished getting dressed and then walked me to the street and hailed me a cab._

It had been six weeks since that first night and we hadn't missed a single one…until tonight. That's why I was at the market searching for change. Because the guy I was essentially fucking for food had stood me up. No call. No nothing.

We had never come up with any kind of a label, so I stood here for an hour hoping he was running late, but now I knew that this was the brush off and I had to make my own way again. I had just decided to forget about the real food and buy two twelve packs of soda and some ice cream and spend the rest of the week eating Ramen noodles, because regardless of whether we were a couple or fuck buddies, being dumped sucked.

I was mindlessly dropping my 20¢ a pop meals into my basket, when I heard his voice call out my name and I debated just ditching the basket and running, but I'd already left my first one by frozen food, so I couldn't bring myself to make even more work for the old couple who owned this place.

"Bella!" He rounded the corner and as soon as I caught sight of him I turned and made a break for the door. "Bella, I know you can hear me."

Great, if he makes a scene I'm going to have to find a new bodega. "Edward, leave me alone."

"Come on; please just give me a minute. There was a trauma at the hospital and I stayed late and then I fell asleep and I slept through my alarm."

"Don't bother. It's sweet that you couldn't pull the trigger and be a complete prick, but don't stand there and lie to me. It's insulting."

"Bella-"

"I said don't." I walked away and he grabbed my arm, spinning me around and taking my basket, sitting it on the end cap.

"Stop walking away from me." He was seething now; obviously Dr. Edward wasn't used to people walking away from him.

"We were screwing for food; don't make it out as anything more than it was."

"Jesus, is that what you thought?"

I stared at him like he was special. "That's what it was. You stood 15 feet from here and told me you'd buy me food if I'd cook for you. I guess the sex was just dessert."

"Bella, it hasn't been _just _anything since we had sex. I've just been too chicken shit to open my mouth. Every week when you get up to go home; it took everything in me not to ask you to stay."

I was blown away by his little speech, but I wasn't 100% sure I believed him. "I waited here for an hour, looking like a fool while I tried to decide between getting regular carrots and being lazy and just picking the baby carrots to stall until you showed. I thought…"

"What?" Those eyes that had started this whole mess bore holes in me.

"I don't know." I looked down and he let go of my arm.

"Where's the first basket?"

"By the frozen food." Edward disappeared and a minute later he had that and my ice cream and soda at the register.

"How about we bring this to your dorm and figure it out over take out?"

"Sounds like a plan."


End file.
